Page:Kalevala (Kirby 1907) v1.djvu/174

154

Hast thou seen my golden apple,

Hast thou seen my staff of silver?”

And the sun knew all about it,

And the sun made answer plainly:

“There has gone your son unhappy,

He has fallen and has perished,

Down in Tuoni’s murky river,

Manala’s primeval river,

There in the tremendous cataract,

Where the torrent rushes downward,

There on Tuonela’s dark frontier,

There in Manala’s deep valleys.”

Then did Lemminkainen’s mother,

Break out suddenly in weeping.

To the craftsman’s forge she wended:

“O thou smith, O Ilmarinen,

Thou hast worked before, and yestreen,

On this very day O forge me,

Forge a rake with copper handle,

Let the teeth of steel be fashioned,

Teeth in length a hundred fathoms,

And of fathoms five the handle.”

Then the smith, e’en Ilmarinen,

He the great primeval craftsman,

Forged a rake with copper handle,

And the teeth of steel he fashioned,

Teeth in length a hundred fathoms,

And of fathoms five the handle.

Then did Lemminkainen’s mother

Take the mighty rake of iron,

And she rushed to Tuoni’s river,

To the sun her prayer addressing:

“O thou sun whom God created,

Brilliant work of the Creator!

Shine an hour with heat excessive,

Shine again with sultry shimmering,

And again with utmost vigour.

Lull to sleep the race of evil,

And in Manala the strong ones,

Weary out the power of Tuoni!”